This time around, I enjoyed this over-rated movie more than previously, where I noted thusly:
Pretentious and uninspiring; lacks the epic punch you'd get from a Ben-Hur, despite being armed with more modern visuals.
That is still the case of course: there's just nothing new. Luckily it doesn't bore and has some edge-of-the-seat moments. But there's also a bad performance from Djimon Hounsou, and none of the rest are actually impressive/convincing. There is also a lame attempt to eclipse a Braveheart, which must have provided some inspiration, beyond the ones mentioned on the movie's Wikipedia page.
The opening scene, which is meant to build suspense for the impending battle, as well as show the kind of respect given the lead character, is very well-made. The movie's second-best moment is the quick turn of events following the king's death. It's a very interesting portrayal of how fast a respected person can fall, given a powerful-enough opponent.
The Oscars are embarrassing to have honored the movie with Best Picture Oscar. They deserve to be ignored, for there surely must have been numerous superior movies that year.